Chris Johnson ready to put subpar 2011 behind him

The memory of his least productive NFL season still on his mind, Titans running back Chris Johnson began the team’s offseason program with a little extra motivation on Monday.

“Of course it motivates me because I want to do better than I did last year,” said Johnson, who carried 262 times for 1,047 yards and four touchdowns in 2011. “I always like to get better and better every year. I feel like I didn’t get better last year. There are a lot of things that go into it, but I’m not the type that’s going to make excuses. It’s basically just working harder, trying to get better.”

Johnson did, however, later explain that there were probably a number of factors that led to his sub-par season. “There was the whole contract situation, no offseason, not really working with new coaches until a couple days before the first game,” he said.

Johnson said he looks forward to getting back into a familiar offseason workout groove, and he may well be spending more time at Baptist Sports Park than in years past. Johnson said he hopes to attend 30 of the 36 days in the offseason program, which would allow him to avoid losing $250,000 of his contract.

Johnson also sounded enthused about the addition of Steve Hutchinson, a seven-time former Pro Bowler, who will step in as the starting left guard.

“I’ve heard a couple things about him,” Johnson said. “It’s always good to get a new addition to help what was not good last year and hopefully try to get the running game going. It’s a good thing to see the coaches want to make it better.”

The 34-year-old Hutchinson, an 11-year veteran, said he takes it as part of his challenge to help get the running game back in order after finishing second-to-last in the NFL last year. Hutchinson has helped pave running lanes for Shaun Alexander and Adrian Peterson in the past.

“It seems like every time I’ve either gotten drafted or went to Minnesota, there was talk about how the running game wasn’t up to the par or up to the standard they’d hoped it would be,” Hutchinson said. “I don’t know if I’m the miracle answer for that, but I’ve been around some pretty good runners and had success – teams I’ve been on – running the ball. I do what I do. I like run-blocking. I like running the ball. So let’s see what we can do.”

Hutchinson is eager to see how he can help Johnson.

“I’m looking forward to working with him a lot,” Hutchinson said. “I’ve been with some specials backs, and I’ve watched him on film over the years. I can’t wait to work with him.”